The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-08-18
THE DUTCH GAP CANAL.
Gen. Butler Tells Its History the Re
union of the Sixth massachusetts.


union of the Sixth Massachusetts.
After a Song by the quartet, Col. Jones
asked Gen. Butler to give his old comrades
a history of the Dutch Gap canal The
general complied, and his explanation
never before made was listened TO with
intense interest b. all He said: The
army of the James lay on Sept. -, 1864
along the outer lines of Richmond, occu-
plying a portion of the line of the main
army under Grant We could not adj
vance because the enemy had control OF
James river, and if the army passed in
the rear of the forts the Confederate iron
clads would have every advantage of at
lacking them in the rear. French creek
makes a detOuT of seven miles and returns
again to point where it is only 40 feet
from water to water, and this is q bluff
sixty feet high. l had q consultation with
Gen. Grant and his chief engineer. I said
if we could get our irOnclads to drive the
enemy's fleet up the river the army could
follow, but as the river was but seven
feet deep around this seven mile detour,
and the ironClads drew fifteen or sixteen
feet, it was not possible to get them
around. I then suggested the cut, which
was known as Dutch Gap; il it were made
we could get twenty-One feet Of water
above ard below the bend Gen. Grant
agreed, and gave me the services of his
engineer. So, while one Of Buffers fail
ures, it was not one Of his misjudgments,
as it was ordered by Grant.
.'The work was at once begun, and on
Christmas day Of 1864 it was completed.
except about twenty-five feet, which
formed bulllhead between the water on
sither side. During the process of eXca-
Walton the enemy threw at least 10000
shells at us. The canal was to be ninety
feet across the bottom and an average
depth Of twenty-five feet. During the
,iuriug l had a hole made in the bank
end two men stationed on the bluffs above,
and when a mortar shell would rise from
the enemy's fleet they would shout
Shell" and all would run for the holes
and remain until the shell exploded.
There was one mule killed, I believe, and
an army wagon destroyed, and that was
about all the damage done l had an en-
thusiastic supporter in my work in the
person Of Admiral MelanCthOn Smith, who
commanded the Union irOnclads, but he
was removed to another sphere Of useful
ness just prior TO theOpening Of the canal.
Having properly mined the bulkhead, on
Dec. % 7 blew it up, and in twenty
four hours there were three feet Of water
running through the gap. In twenty-four
hours more, by dredging, I could have run
an iTOnclad through At that hour /
rang with the report of Buffers failure at
Dutch Gap canal. ! couldn't tell then.
but / can tell now. After I opened the
hole the man who succeeded Admiral
Smith wrote me a letter, in which he
said: For Gods sake don't let the rebel
lion ironclads down upon US 7 have got
that letter. I am not in the habit of de-
stroying documents. But what could I
do 7 couldn't say then that our fleet
was afraid Of the enemy. What would
have been said Of me if I had done 50?
But let me say that on Jan .,
1860. the enemy's irOuclads came ont of
French creek when the water was high.
and drove our ironclads 50 fast that they
didn't wait even to open the draw in the
poutoon bridges. but crashed through
them and they, in my Judgment, wouldn't
have stopped until they reached Fortress
Monroe but for the fact that one Of the
euemy's vessels got ashore and the rest OF
the fleet was delayed so long in assisting
her that the water began to fall, and they
returned unframed As for that naval
officer. whose name I won't give you, but
YOU can read it in the history of the coun-
try. he was court martialed, found guilty
Of cowardice, and ordered TO be dismissed
from the service. The order would have
been carried out, but it never was ap-
proved by the secretary Of the navy Now,
let Tne say that Dutch Gap is the only way
To get to Richmond by the James river.
French creek has grown up with grass.
It is the only nook that has ever been of
any earthly use to humanity, and to-day
is a benefit to navigation Of the James
Boston Globe.